The Regional Lewis County Tennis and Wrestling Facility received a large funding boost last month, as the Chehalis School District Board of Directors approved an anonymous $160,000 donation from the Lewis County Tennis Association (LCTA) during its February meeting.
The LCTA received the initial donation from the anonymous donor before writing a check to the Chehalis School District.
According to Heather C. Pinkerton, chief financial officer of the district, the new donation brings the total amount of secured funding to just over $2 million as of mid-February.
The total includes a $750,000 grant from TransAlta. The state Department of Commerce has also allocated an additional $848,750 toward the project, Pinkerton added.
The privately-funded project has a current total estimated cost of $3,926,255, including tax and contingency.
The 34,375-square-foot indoor facility, which has yet to break ground, will be fashioned similarly to the planned domed facility at Camas High School in Clark County, Pinkerton said.
According to reporting by The Columbian, the Camas project, scheduled to begin construction in May, features a fabric dome that will cover the school’s eight outdoor tennis courts.
The project is expected to finish in December.
Pinkerton said the district is currently working with the City of Chehalis on permitting for its own project, as well as an operating agreement between the district and LCTA.
Though the facility will be built on district property, Pinkerton emphasized the district has committed to spending zero local taxpayer dollars on the project.
“The project is funded entirely through private and community support. No district funds are being used,” Pinkerton said.
The project is a collaboration between LCTA — a nonprofit with about 140 members — the Chehalis School District, Chehalis Activators and the Centralia Foundation.
“We are hoping to use it for our students, and the Lewis County Tennis Association is hoping to use it to teach our students tennis, but also for community use, and so we’ve been partnering together to try to make it happen,” Pinkerton said.
The multi-purpose facility is currently set for construction behind the old Olympic Elementary School grounds, on what is now a football/soccer field.
Earlier proposed locations included a site behind Chehalis Middle School.
In April 2025, the Chehalis School Board voted unanimously to move forward with the proposed project behind Olympic Elementary. The school district had previously signed a memorandum of understanding with LCTA in May 2024.
According to previous Chronicle reporting, the project began in 2020 as a Chehalis Foundation proposal. A steering committee formed in January 2021 to include members of Chehalis Foundation, Chehalis School District, LCTA and wrestling representatives.
“As you know, here in Western Washington we experience many months of rain throughout the year which is not conducive to playing tennis,” LCTA states on its website. “The balls get waterlogged, and courts become dangerously slick. With only one indoor tennis court currently available for use, we cannot support the tennis program or future growth of the sport in our area.”
The facility will also be used as a practice space for the district’s middle school wrestling team.
“This highly visible location presents a wonderful opportunity to showcase the facility and generate even more excitement for the sport of tennis,” LCTA states. “We also hope to draw high level tournament players as well as pickleball enthusiasts!”
Despite the progress made, fundraising remains an ongoing priority for LCTA.
To donate to the project, or learn more, visit https://lewiscountytennis.com.
